saquear
“saquear” means “to loot” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to loot, to plunder
Also: to sack
📝 In Action
Los soldados saque_aron la ciudad después de la batalla.
B2The soldiers looted the city after the battle.
Varios vándalos intentaron saquear la tienda de electrónica.
B2Several vandals tried to loot the electronics store.
Es triste ver cómo saquean el patrimonio cultural del país.
C1It's sad to see how they plunder the country's cultural heritage.
to raid, to ransack
📝 In Action
Los niños llegaron con hambre y saquearon la nevera.
B1The kids arrived hungry and raided the fridge.
Alguien saqueó mi cajón y ahora no encuentro mis llaves.
B2Someone ransacked my drawer and now I can't find my keys.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: saquear
Question 1 of 3
If your friends 'saquearon la nevera', what did they do?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Germanic word 'sakjan' (to claim or pursue), which entered Spanish through the French word 'sac'. It originally referred to the bags used to carry off stolen goods.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'saquear' the same as 'robar'?
Not exactly. 'Robar' is the general word for 'to steal.' 'Saquear' is more specific; it means to steal everything from a place, usually involving many people or a chaotic situation like a riot or war.
Is it a common word?
In everyday life, you'll mostly hear it as a joke ('Who raided the fridge?'). However, you will see it very often in newspapers and history books.
Does it have a stem change?
No! It is a perfectly regular -ar verb. The 'qu' stays through the entire conjugation because it is part of the root (saque-).